The top 20 recipients accounted for more than a third, 36 percent, of all federal obligations. The top 20 also remained the same from year to year, with one exception: Cornell University fell from No. 20 to 25, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology moved from No. 21 to take its spot.

Minority-serving institutions (MSIs), which include historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), institutions serving a large percentage of Hispanic enrollments and tribal colleges and universities, saw the amount of federal money obligated to them rise for the third straight year, increasing about 1 percent, or about $11.5 million. All obligations to MSIs were $783 million, or about 3 percent of total obligations to all academic institutions. The MSIs receiving the greatest federal obligations in 2015 were New Mexico State University at nearly $49 million, Florida International University with $45 million and Morehouse School of Medicine at $30 million. The top 20 MSIs received 56 percent of S&E obligations to academic institutions.